Today after session i was checking my texts sitting in my car outside T's and when i looked up i saw a figure walking in an unfamiliar fashion and my mind knew it was T but felt disbelieve.

S pWhat do I do? Theres a chance of getting something unplanned here, so i drove ahead of her and pulled over and watched her walk along the street.
I
She was walking with her hand in her jeans front pocket and a small backpack over her shoulder. I felt so strange. It felt strange, watching her like this, spooky feeling. I guess because thats similar to fantasy? The watching T unseen. Completely disorientated me.

[likelife]

That's happened to me before, when sitting in my car after a session. It's always disconcerting to see her outside of her office (I was going to say "natural setting" )

What did you mean by "a chance of getting something unplanned here"?

A sense of still being with her I guess.

[Mike_J]

I used to sometimes see my therapist walking from her office to the parking garage on the other side of the street, as I was driving around the block to get back on the bridge to get to the other side of town. I was never sure if I should wave or what...

And I'm with lifelike....What did you mean by "a chance of getting something unplanned here"?

Originally Posted by Mike_J

I used to sometimes see my therapist walking from her office to the parking garage on the other side of the street, as I was driving around the block to get back on the bridge to get to the other side of town. I was never sure if I should wave or what...

And I'm with lifelike....What did you mean by "a chance of getting something unplanned here"?

see post above yours

[BonnieJean]

I saw mine put a shopping cart away and walk to her car. I couldn't have watched more intently at EVERYTHING; the way she tilted her head, her casual dress, etc. It made me feel so anxious to see her like that and she didn't know I was watching.

[struggling2]

im not sure i'd want to see her outside of their....in a RL setting...im afraid it would change the enigma that she is...

[sconnie892]

On several occasions I have seen T driving to/from my office. Our offices are not far apart. One time I was crossing the street to get the mail for work (it's a rural office setting.) It was odd. I knew she saw me because I had to stand on the side of the road and wait for her to pass. Didn't know if I should wave or what. I opted for the look for traffic coming from the opposite direction technique.

[Sannah]

(T's frequently will only make contact (wave, say hello) outside the office if the client initiates it because to make the initial contact can break confidentiality because if others see then they can assume you are a client).

Originally Posted by Sannah

(T's frequently will only make contact (wave, say hello) outside the office if the client initiates it because to make the initial contact can break confidentiality because if others see then they can assume you are a client).

Ooh, of course. That hadn't occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense.

[geez]

I've seen my old T at (the grocery store a few times, the gym many times, town fair, library and she drove past me on a couple of different occasions when I was out for a run. I've driven past her or have seen her driving around town. I kind of look for her car and I'm a little bit embarrassed about that. I find comfort mixed in with a tiny bit of sadness when I see her from afar. I know she's still around and she told me her door is always open. I haven't been seeing her around so much lately and though I do miss her I'm ok with that :-)

My marriage T I've seen twice in public. Once at the gym and we smiled at one another. Another time when I was out getting some unmentionables at the local corner store I saw her (embarrassing but thankfully she didn't see me).

My new T I've only seen outside of the office 1x. That happened yesterday when we both pulled into the parking lot at the same time as I'm her first appointment of the day. We were both running a little bit late. We parked next to one another and we both said hi and she said what a nice day. I'm ok with that and don't feel weird about it because I don't feel really 'attached' to the new T. I'm in my: 'don't get to close' I'm very guarded but I want to be attached to you at the same time phase :-)

[eskielover]

My horse trainer got me to go to the dressage club that had just started up meeting again......I knew my psychologist at the time was also into dressage. It was just strange when she showed up at the same meeting I was at.

She explained that she would acknowledge knowing me only if I acknowledged her first & that any conversation couldn't be anything about what we talked about in therapy.

Had to laugh a bit because it seemed like the first 1/2 of all of our sessions were talking about horses because I was so suicidal, I was afraid to talk about anything else.

Originally Posted by Sannah

(T's frequently will only make contact (wave, say hello) outside the office if the client initiates it because to make the initial contact can break confidentiality because if others see then they can assume you are a client).

This wasn't about her making contact, I intended to remain unseen. It's more about the unexpectedness and how I felt.

[Victoria'smom]

I've seen my T outside the office. I kinda nod my head and do a little wave thing at my side. Giving her a hi and acknowledging her but not acknowledging. The weird thing is if I'm in the office but not scheduled with her I do not acknowledged her. I guess it's just because I see it as other clients' time.

[Snuffleupagus]

I was in an AA group with a T I had for my Intensive Outpatient Program. I didn't really intend it. The mtg was a just a few blocks from where I live. After only attending a couple of times, I got roped to the mtg because I was volunteered for the year long coffee commitment. I had to talk to the old T to get supplies. She later became my partner's T which ramped up the awkward factor. There were times when I could hardly say hello to her because I felt like I was somehow intruding on her private life.

We never discussed it outright. I kinda thought she would, but she didn't. It was a speaker meeting, so I got to hear her AA story when she was the main speaker. They record the main speaker, and I just could not resist picking up a CD for my partner to listen to. Before she started speaking, she said she was really nervous and mentioned that there were many women at the mtg that she knew well on all kinds of levels, so I might not have been the only former patient there. The meeting moved across town; my commitment ended, and I quit going with some relief. I think it was only possible because she was a short-term former T, but that was plenty strange enough. It was the only straight mtg I attended regularly, so I know I got something out of the acceptance I found there, but it was just not worth the awkwardness once I didn't have a commitment.

The feeling of disorientation earthmama talked about lessened, but it didn't go away. I wanted to tell her that that was NOT where she belonged, but, of course, by AA tradition you're a member if you say you are, so none of that.

This post reminds me of when I have had students see me in public. They think I live at school, of course. So they are all weirded out when they see me at the grocery store or book store or something. (One old student called me at home the other night to say hi and how they miss me, and I could not convince her I wasn't in the classroom!!)

The thing is, I am just a regular person and so are our T's.... I am curious as to how come its so hard for some to see their T as just a normal person?
(I think that since I'm married to a T and see my T a lot outside, I have just maybe gotten immune to any possibility of oddness over it?)

[critterlady]

I saw T at the gas station I always use when I'd only seen him a couple of times. I pretended I didn't see him - it was just awkward. Now that I've been seeing him for a few months, I'm pretty sure I'd at least say hello.

We pulled into the parking lot at his building at the same time once, too. We waved, but I always hang out in my car for a few minutes collecting my thoughts and he went on into the building.

i don't even park in t's parking lot because i need my time before and after therapy.
i have seen him out driving once or twice and once when i was shopping, i heard his voice, never saw him, but as soon as i heard his voice i ducked down and looked at some clothes on a lower rack. did not want to see him at all.

i like to think of him in his office 24/7. that really fits best with the picture in my mind.

[rainbow_rose]

Originally Posted by jbmomg

i like to think of him in his office 24/7. that really fits best with the picture in my mind.

me too

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